FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a reproducing apparatus and method, a program offering medium and a storage medium, and more particularly to a reproducing apparatus and method, a program offering medium and a storage medium which enable the user to accomplish reproduction in an unrestricted, variegated manner.
Recently, disks are attracting keen note as storage media for recording video information and the like to replace magnetic tapes. Magnetic tapes, which do not permit random access, are suitable for recording and reproducing video information only consecutively.
As opposed to them, disks permit ready random access, and accordingly enable any desired part of video information, even if it is recorded consecutively with other parts, in any desired sequence.
However, if a prescribed portion of information recorded on a disk is to be reproduced in any sequential position, the sequence of reproduction has to be stored in the reproducing apparatus. As a result, if the disk is to be played back on another reproducing apparatus, that other reproducing apparatus has to be taught and caused to store the sequence of reproduction anew, which meant corresponding inconvenience in operation.
The present invention has been proposed in view of this circumstance, and is intended to achieve improved operating convenience.
According to one aspect of the invention, a reproducing apparatus comprises a reproducing means for reproducing information recorded on a storage medium, an extracting means for extracting playback mode information defining a playback mode from the information reproduced by the reproducing means, and a control means responsive to the playback mode information extracted by the extracting means for controlling the reproduction continuity of main information from the storage medium.
According to another aspect of the invention, a reproducing method comprises a reproducing step to reproduce information recorded on a storage medium, an extracting step to extract playback mode information defining a playback mode from the information reproduced at the reproducing step, and a control step responsive to the playback mode information extracted at the extracting step to control the reproduction continuity of main information from the storage medium.
According to still another aspect of the invention, a program offering medium offers a program to cause a reproducing apparatus for reproducing information recorded on a storage medium to execute processes comprising a reproducing step to reproduce information recorded on the storage medium, an extracting step to extract playback mode information defining a playback mode from the information reproduced at the reproducing step, and a control step responsive to the playback mode information extracted at the extracting step to control the reproduction continuity of main information from the storage medium.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a storage medium records thereon playback mode information in accordance with which, when the reproduction of a prescribed part of main information has been completed, either another part of main information continues to be reproduced or reproduction is discontinued.
The reproducing apparatus, the reproducing method and the program offering medium referred to above are responsive to the playback mode information reproduced from the storage medium for controlling the reproduction continuity of main information.
The storage medium described above has recorded thereon in advance playback mode information in accordance with which, when the reproduction of a prescribed part of main information has been completed, either another part of main information continues to be reproduced or reproduction is discontinued.